A CEO and former Googler shares the one question she thinks every job candidate should ask

Liz Wessel, the CEO of WayUp, reveals the most
impressive question a job candidate can ask.Courtesy of Liz Wessel

Liz Wessel knows a thing or two about the job interview process.

Not only does she work with college students applying for jobs
every day — but she also regularly interviews job candidates
applying for roles at her own company, WayUp.

After working at Google for two years, the now 26-year-old
University of Pennsylvania graduate left to cofound WayUp, a site used by hundreds of
thousands of college students to find jobs at places like
Microsoft, Uber, The New York Times, Disney, and Google. She's
currently the company's CEO.

Wessel says the one question she thinks every job
candidate should ask their interviewer is: "If you think
about the people who stick out as all-stars at your company, what
makes them all-stars?"

"This question is great for so many reasons," Wessel tells
Business Insider. "It's impressive because it shows your
potential employer that you're already eager to find out how you
can provide the most value to their organization.

"It's important for you because it's a quick way to find out what
a company is really all about and whether you think you could be
an all-star at the company."

Another great thing about this question, she says, "is that the
answer may reveal traits and characteristics that you can play up
later in conversation or in your second interview."

She says at WayUp, the all-stars are people who go "above and
beyond for our users and our clients, and who think outside of
the box as often as possible."

"I think all employees who last at WayUp are good people and
genuinely embody our company values, so when candidates ask me
this question about all-stars, I usually go directly to the
quality that sticks out, rather than talk about our values."

She says her other favorite questions to hear from candidates
are, "What keeps you up at night?" or "Where do you think the
company needs improvement?"

"These questions are awesome because they show that you already
care about what challenges the company is facing and how to
overcome them," she says. "It also helps you have a better
understanding of what you're in for — both the good and the bad —
if you get hired."